Story Highlights

NEW YORK — There are solid reasons to be drawn to the Nexus 5, Google's winner of a new handset. The "pure Android" smartphone from South Korea's LG is thin, screaming fast and, despite weighing just under 4.6 ounces, comfortable to hold.

It has a terrific nearly 5-inch full HD high-resolution display. And a phone that's infused with Google-ness promises to deliver Android updates ahead of rival devices.

The 8-megapixel rear camera is improved compared with prior Nexus handsets. There's now optical image stabilization for video, and an HDR + feature that combines a rapid burst of shots into one best photo. The pictures I shot were generally decent, but the camera is not on par with some of the finest smartphone shooters out there, a list that includes the iPhone 5s, the Nokia Lumia 1020, HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4 or LG's G2.

The best thing about the Nexus 5 is all the sweetness you get in totality at an extremely attractive price. It costs just $349 for an "unlocked" phone with 16 gigabytes of storage, or $399 for 32GB. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better value among such premium-class devices.

The Nexus 5 is the first phone to showcase Android 4.4 or "KitKat," the fresh version of the mobile operating system that is still weeks away on other devices.

On the Nexus 5, I love that you can just bark out "OK Google" from any home screen to initiate a voice command (for making calls, playing music, directions, etc.) without pressing buttons first. The feature generally worked well in my tests, though the Nexus 5 doesn't take it quite as far as the Google-owned Motorola Moto X does with a similar stunt.

Personal Tech columnist Ed Baig demonstrates some of the features of the new Nexus 5 smartphone from Google and LG.

The KitKat phone dialer gives priority to the contacts you talk to most. When you search your contacts, Google also searches for nearby places. If you get a call from a business not in your contacts, KitKat attempts to use Google Maps to pull up information on the caller.

KitKat also integrates text messages into a newly designed Google's Hangouts app along with video calls and other conversations.

The clever Google Now tool that anticipates the kinds of things you might search for (weather, traffic, Web stories) before you actually search for them, is now a simple swipe from the home screen away.

The Nexus 5 is attractive but rather utilitarian looking. It comes in either black or white and has a rubbery back that makes it easy to grip. Still, I managed to inadvertently drop it onto the pavement, smashing the screen. The phone continued to function, but so much for any protections provided by Gorilla Glass 3.

The Nexus 5 also addresses a critical Achilles' heel of its predecessors: It can tap the speedy 4G LTE networks offered by T-Mobile and Sprint, something not possible on earlier Nexus phones. Those two carriers will be selling the phone in the U.S., as will Amazon, Best Buy and RadioShack. And while AT&T is not selling the Nexus 5, the phone is compatible with AT&T's network. Verizon Wireless is not supporting the phone at this time.

Buying an unlocked phone means you have to supply your own SIM card for voice and (when beyond the reach of Wi-Fi) data network service. I inserted a SIM from T-Mobile and tested the device in and around New York City, with data speeds on T-Mobile's network varying widely. And buying Nexus means you are getting an unencumbered "stock Android" experience, without the software skins layered on by phone makers.

The voice and speakerphone quality of the Nexus 5 is for the most part very good, except that T-Mobile had trouble holding onto a cellular signal at times from my basement. I was hardly wowed by the mono speaker when listening to music.The experience pales next to the audio you get through the stereo speakers on the HTC One. Fortunately, I mostly use headphones or Bluetooth speakers anyway.

I did not conduct a formal battery test, but had no problem keeping the phone juiced well into the evening after mixed use. With an optional accessory you can take advantage of wireless charging. The battery is not removable.

The Nexus 5 is not a perfect phone. But it's an awfully good one and a superb choice for the money.